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Angry parents who were told just days ago that their children's new school wouldn't be opening next week are demanding an immediate U-turn from the government. The One In A Million school would have been based at Bradford City Football Club where work on the building now stands unfinished.

Families who've been affected have today staged a demonstration at the ground as James Webster reports.

The co-founder of the One In A Million charity which had hoped to open its new Free School in Bradford next month says he shares the devastation of the parents who say they have been let down.

As was said on Tuesday we share the devastation of the families and staff involved and totally understand their passion. That is why we have worked tirelessly throughout this whole process, right until the DfE decision was made on Friday.

The Department for Education is defending its decision to put the opening of the One in a Million School in Bradford on hold. Officials pulled the plug on its investment because not all the places at the school had been filled.

Setting up a Free School is a difficult task and we thank One in a Million for all their hard work. Before any new schools open their doors, we have to be sure that all the conditions we set have been met. Making certain that new schools raise standards is one of the reasons why our Free Schools have been so popular with families across England. We still hope that One in a Million will open in 2013. We understand that the parents and children hoping to attend One in a Million will be disappointed.

Parents of children due to start studying at a new Free School in Bradford are staging a protest after funding for their school was cut by the government. Less than a week before lessons at the One In A Million school were due to begin it was announced the project was being put back to 2013.

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Parents of children due to start studying at a new Free School in Bradford are staging a protest after funding for their school was cut by the government. Less than a week before lessons at the One In A Million school were due to begin it was announced the project was being put back to 2013.

Families are gathering at Valley Parade in the city close to where the new school would have been sited. Several of them are also having meetings with officials at Bradford City Council to discuss what alternative provision for their children is being provided.

A decision to withdraw Government funding from a free school in Bradford just a week before it was due to open has been described as an "utter fiasco".

Around 30 pupils were enrolled to start at the One in a Million school next week.

But the Department for Education (DfE) announced that the project will not receive funding although a DfE spokeswoman said they hoped the charity-run One in a Million school would still be able to open next year.

Ralph Berry, Bradford Council's executive member for children and young people's services, called for an investigation.

Who made these decisions, how and why? We're not being told. There has to be some further investigation into how this was done. It's an utter fiasco. I found out that, despite the parents having bought the uniforms and the kids meeting their teachers, the Department for Education were pulling the plug and pulling their funding. The parents are very upset. Who's going to reimburse these parents?"